Centre

PROGRAM 1:
Our Roots Run Deep by
Dominique Fils-Aimé

Rising star in vocal jazz, Dominique Fils-Aimé presents her fourth album Our Roots Run Deep released in September 2023 on Ensoul Records. Dominique Fils-Aimé is a JUNO Award winning singer-songwriter from Montreal who puts the history of African-American musical culture into the heart of her work. 

In her fourth album entitled Our Roots Run Deep, Dominique Fils-Aimé frames her latest installment with a loose, dreamlike narrative structure that tells a story of growth. For Dominique, nature acts as an anchor—a source of inspiration that provides her with metaphors to express the unique but interconnected journey of a human being.

"Just as we cannot see the mycorrhizal network that allows trees in a forest to communicate with each other underground," says Dominique. "I believe our souls do the same and that music can be a fertilizer for this invisible communication network."

[Master Recording/Composition] Courtesy of Ensoul Records / [Photo] Jetro Emilcar

PROGRAM 2:
Forever Meditations by Michael Gary Dean + Alternate Forest - Nature Minutes and Transport Station by SlowPitchSound

Forever Meditations by Michael Gary Dean

Collaborating with musicians across numerous genres and artistic styles, Michael Gary Dean’s Forever Meditations merges flowing ambient electronics with intimate instrumentation, drawing on reflective moods and long moments of deliberation. Forever Meditations is the soundtrack to elongated moments for reflection while enduring the long and harsh Canadian winters.

The creation of this work was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.

[Master Recording/Composition] Courtesy of Michael Gary Dean; Mixed in Dolby Atmos by Philippe Rochefort; Dolby Atmos mastering by Justin Gray / [Photo] Sarah Kim

Alternate Forest - Nature Minutes and Transport Station by SlowPitchSound

Alternate Forest - Nature Minutes is a quick reminder of how precious our planet is. It was remixed for the Habitat Sonore space with the intention of making the 2-minute message really sink deeper into our minds, using the room's unique audio system. SlowPitchSound repositioned sounds to dance around your entire body so that you can feel more connected to the sonic forests, rivers and fields created by him.

Transport Station was originally composed with spatialization in mind but it was done using only stereo panning at the time. Having the opportunity to remix the piece in the Habitat Sonore room is really a dream further realized, an opportunity for the piece to be fully immersive. The composition is based on the prompt: "Sight Isolates, Sound Incorporates". Familiar sounds are transformed into other worldly rhythms, dancing around the room and stimulating your imagination.

PROGRAM 3:
Tongues by Tanya Tagaq

This album enters deep chasms and dangerous spaces. Tongues speaks not to horrors and crisis, as previous Tagaq albums wordlessly, powerfully encircled, but directly of these things. Tongues is a manual for inner and outer revolution, a victory over those who take without consent.

[Master Recording] Produced by Saul Williams and mixed in Dolby Atmos by Vic Florencia; Mastering Engineer: Justin Grey